Basseterre— With the adoption of advanced fishing techniques, the fisheries sector of St. Kitts and Nevis registered a 26.45% growth in revenues in the year 2024 as compared to the previous year.
Total revenue generated was recorded at E.C.$19.6 million, while in the year 2023, the total revenues stood at E.C.$15.5 million.
The government had taken several initiatives to boost the production in the fisheries sector, which had shown good results.
A major portion of the revenue from the fisheries was contributed by the reef and demersal fishery. The total catch was recorded at 1,567,620 pounds in 2024, which was 35.4% more as compared to 1,157,234 pounds in 2023.
While the landings in the Reef and Demersal category were recorded at 1,212,687 pounds in 2024, which was 60.2% as compared to 757,143 pounds in 2023.
The total contribution of this sector was E.C.$15,133,117, which was 77% of the total revenue generated by the fisheries sector.
The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis stated that various initiatives taken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Marine Resources, under the leadership of Samal Duggins, have proved beneficial for the fishermen from the Twin Island Federation.
The government had invested heavily in the fisheries infrastructure and provided additional financial and technical resources to the fishermen across the Twin Island Federation, due to which they were able to improve the production of fish in 2024 over the previous year.
While appreciating the government agencies and the hard work put in by the fishermen in increasing the revenues in this sector, Minister Duggins stated that the government was committed to providing the best resources, training, and infrastructure to the fishermen across the twin-island federation so that they could sustain and even improve on this success in 2025.
The minister said that while the fisheries department has registered huge growth in its revenues, it has also remained focused on ensuring sustainable growth and preservation of natural resources.
The minister said that the government was now looking for new international markets where the fishermen from St Kitts and Nevis could market their produce. He said that by exporting produce to foreign nations, the fishermen can book huge profits.
